


Enough

by Tiacchi



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Fluff, Implied Aomine Daiki/Kise Ryouta, M/M, a bit angst, all about the kikasa, implied kuroko tetsuya/kise ryouta
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-20
Updated: 2015-11-20
Packaged: 2018-05-02 12:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5247686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiacchi/pseuds/Tiacchi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kise always stood at the top alone, until he entered Kaijou high. Then he found himself standing there with Kasamatsu</p>
            </blockquote>





	Enough

**Author's Note:**

> Tried a different way of writing. I hope you like this!

In Kise's life, there'd only been three people to capture his attention. It happened twice in middle school and once in high school, though all three times had left him vulnerable and weak.  
  
....  
  
Everything had come easy to the model, who was naturally talented and excelled at all sports. He'd found everything boring after a while because there wasn't a single thing challenging to him.  
  
 ** _At least until Aomine Daiki came in the picture.  
_**  
He was the man to ignite the waning flame in his heart, motivating him to play basketball. He was unnaturally talented like himself, only he found joy in playing. Despite being one of the best, he'd never once felt bored of the sport, always eager to play strong players.  
  
Kise found himself always losing against him, yet he'd always wear a smile. He truly was the best, and it made him happy there was finally a sport that gave him a challenge, one that could keep him from being bored.  
  
 ** _Kuroko came right after.  
_**  
After joining the basketball team and entering first string, he'd met Kuroko Tetsuya, who was his mentor, his senpai. Kise couldn't stop the scoff from escaping his lips.   
  
He'd always watch Kuroko practice, and after seeing how shitty of a player he was, started to question if Teiko was actually serious. Surely this boy, who couldn't shoot a ball for the life of him, was a regular on an overwhelmingly strong team. He thought everyone was crazy when they said he was an amazing player.  
  
At least until they'd played together in a game.   
  
Aomine did say Kuroko was a different type of player, the opposite of them. When he'd received his passes, he finally understood Aomine's words. After experiencing Kuroko's abilities first-hand, Kise found an overwhelming amount of respect for the shorter Teiko member.   
  
Kise realized they were two people he never wanted to surpass, for seeing either of them lose sent his heart into a weird spiral of emotions and it left an unsettling feeling in his stomach.   
  
....  
  
After everything changed between the generation of miracles, Kise found himself recruited by Kaijou high. He didn't think much of the players because he  _knew_ they wouldn't be better than him. What sense would it make to seek out those stronger than you if you were strong as you are? Regardless, Kise wasn't mature enough to turn down the invitation to Kaijou, and jumped at the chance to go.  
  
He didn't realize he was to meet the third, **and final** , person to change his world.  
  
However, there were a few downsides;  
  
The first being he was older, two years to be exact, and his temper was something that boggled Kise's mind. After all, everyone he's ever been around always swooned or laughed with him. This guy, however, always seemed to kick, smack, or punch him. And he wasn't sure what to make of these actions.  
  
The second downside was he was an authoritative figure. Kise was always used to doing what he wanted, not obeying anyone's rules but his own, aside from Akashi but let's face it, he didn't really have many rules as it was so there wasn't much authority there. Everyone knew Akashi was the strongest and didn't dare to challenge him after seeing Murasakibara being defeated so easily.  
  
This young man, after giving Kise a stern talking to, announced his name to be Kasamatsu Yukio, Captain of Kaijou's basketball team, and his senpai. Then had the nerve to ask him if he had an issue with that. Of course Kise did! But seeing the sternness on his face made him evaluate his actions.   
  
Also, hearing the phrase, "Kise of Kaijou" had a special ring to it, one that didn't seem to grate on his nerves. Any time he heard 'Kise, the hot model' or "Generation of Miracle's Kise Ryouta', he always found himself flinching. In all honesty, even though he loved the attention and the gifts from his fans;  
  
He absolutely  **despised** the titles following it.  
  
He didn't know who was his real friend and who was acting. He didn't even take dating seriously because, he was still young, the girls always flung themselves at him, and it seemed they never took dating him seriously either. So why should he waste time on just one person when there were thousands who all wanted the same thing?  
  
But his mindset started to change when he was at Kaijou. And when he first lost to Kuroko and Seirin, who wasn't even a well-known school, he honestly thought Kuroko was crazy for going to such a place. Everyone else went to elite and popular schools. But then again, Kuroko was the opposite of everyone in the generation of miracles, so it made sense he'd also go to a school not many people have heard of. Still, when he actually lost, and his captain had kicked him, telling him to add 'revenge' to his dictionary, he slowly started to respect them more.  
  
And before Kise knew it, the final downside had made itself known.  
  
He had craved the older male's attention to the point of no return, and he wasn't sure how he got there.  
  
...  
  
What started out as a rude awakening for the young blonde had turned into a feeling he'd never experienced in Teiko. He wasn't used to being  ** _needed_  **on the team. What started out as winning with friends in Teiko turned into a living nightmare that Kise didn't want to relive. Practices were suffocating, filled with a feeling of  **'** _ **mess up and you're worthless** ' _. It was hard for the blonde to explain, as he never really paid much attention to such things. But it hurt when everyone stopped working together. When his one-on-ones with Aomine had stopped, and he'd be seen with only Midorima, Kuroko and Momoi. Even then, he hardly interacted with them during practice.  
  
He was completely alone,  **isolated** in his own world.  
  
So when he'd been smacked for skipping practice, his eyes started to open up, the ice around his heart starting to slowly melt. Every day, he found himself enjoying basketball, his reason for playing clawing its way to the front of his mind, pushing him to be the best. Over time, he'd learned that he wasn't just playing for himself any more.  
  
He was playing for the sake of his  **team**. For the sake of his  **captain** , who carried the burden of losing.   
  
Sometimes, during classes, his thoughts would travel to his senpai, wondering what he was thinking about. He'd often catch himself treading into dangerous territory, and he wasn't sure if he liked it or hated it. However, before he could think about it any further, the bell would always go off at the right time, and Kise would find himself shrugging those loose thoughts away.   
  
...  
  
Kise found himself in the gym, grabbing a loose basketball that was sitting in the corner, collecting dust. Despite being in his uniform, he found himself shooting hoops, uncaring if he wasn't in the proper attire. The feelings in his stomach seemed to twist and churn, and he knew he  ** _should_** be eating.  ** _Should_** be relaxing his muscles since practice was but a few hours away. But he'd felt restless, and shooting hoops was the only thing to calm his mind. He felt his lips twist into a frown, eyes narrowing in concentration as he pushed himself.  
  
He ignored the stares of his senpais, who'd overheard the basketball bounce in the gym.   
  
"Kise seems to be getting into it." Moriyama whispered, eyes watching the young prodigy.  
  
"He's been doing this since losing to Seirin. I didn't think losing would have such an affect on him." Kobori whispered back, his eyes filled with a bit of concern for the blonde.  
  
The only person who remained silent was Kasamatsu, who'd been watching his kouhai with steel-blue eyes. Despite being a prodigy, Kise seemed to work just as hard as the rest of them. He noticed how he'd occasionally stay longer than everyone else, until the sun had set and he would watch from behind the door as he'd work himself to exhaustion. There were a couple times he had to forcefully pull him from the gym, giving him a stern lecture on not pushing himself and it seemed to just go over his head.  
  
The three watched as he panted, his eyes hidden beneath blonde bangs. They couldn't see the look in his eyes, but if his body was any indication, they knew he was troubled by  _ **something**_. They heard him sigh, throwing one last basket before sitting on the ground, back facing them. The ball bounced away from him, rolling towards the three males.   
  
"We should go check on him." Moriyama whispered, taking a step towards him. Kobori's hand rested on his shoulder, causing the shooting guard to look at him with wide eyes.  
  
"We should leave him be. Coach is expecting us anyway." Kobori knew it was a shit excuse, but it was the way Kise sat, that prevented him from approaching. Moriyama knew the center wanted to check on him, but there was something holding him back, and without another word, he'd nodded, walking away with him.  
  
Kasamatsu stood at the doorway, unmoving even when the ball hit his foot. There was something about this that called out to him. But there was something else holding him back. An unknown emotion swirled in his gut, and it gnawed at him, irritating the usually stern captain. But for some reason, seeing the young blonde sitting in the middle of the gym, alone and far, ** _very far_**  away, it left him baffled.  
  
He'd picked up the ball, feeling a bit calmer after the rubber touched his fingers. There was a bit of sweat on the ball from Kise's hand, and it filled Kasamatsu's nose in a weirdly, pleasant way. When he lifted his head, he saw the boy hadn't moved a muscle and it was as though he was calling out to him.   
  
He sighed quietly, placing the ball in front of the closed door, taking one last look at Kise. As his senpai and captain, he should make sure he's okay. But he also knows Kise, and he'd definitely cover it with that fake smile of his.   
  
He wondered if he'd ever see the blonde give a genuine smile. And then he found himself frowning at the thought before walking away. He really shouldn't be thinking such thoughts, especially about his kouhai. The brat was annoying, even when he wasn't talking.   
  
 ** _How ironic._**  
  
Just the thought of him somehow made his head ache, but it could be other things causing it.   
  
Kasamatsu wasn't sure any more.   
  
If he'd stayed a bit longer, he would've seen the prodigy look towards the door, noticing the ball sitting neatly on the floor instead of rolling around. He also would've seen the look of disappointment on his face when he realized the one person he wanted to be watching him, standing there with a proud look, wasn't there.  
  
...  
  
"Kise-kun? What are you doing here?"  
  
The blonde had travelled to Tokyo, trying to clear his mind. Since he'd lost to Touou in the Inter-high, he'd been even more distant from his team. He thought opening up to them and working together would be the answer he was seeking. It seemed to work for Kuroko, after all, and seeing how his teammates cheered him up and patted him on the back made him envious of the phantom player.   
  
And so, trying to be like the man he admired, he'd reluctantly started to become close with the people he'd looked down upon.  
  
But when they lost, the pain in his chest was  ** _overwhelming_**. Not only did he lose to Kuroko in a practice game, he now lost to Aomine once again. He lost to the two people he'd looked up to, the ones he  **never** wanted to lose to, yet never wanted to see lose.   
  
Did he make a mistake by looking up to his captain in the same manner?   
  
Without realizing it, he ended up at Maji Burger, where Kuroko and Kagami were dining.  
  
"Ah! Kuroko-cchi! Kagami-cchi!"  
  
Kagami raised an eyebrow, mumbling out a 'yo' while he stuffed his face with burgers. Kuroko was sitting there with his Vanilla shake, his usual stoic expression in place. Kise could never read the phantom player's eyes, but he  _knew_ he was watching him, assessing his behaviour, much like his captain did.  
  
For some reason, his stomach churned at the thought of the black-haired male.  
  
"I guess I needed to get away from Kaijou." He'd replied, a flash of a smile on his lips. But Kuroko knew something was wrong, his smile didn't reach his eyes, yet didn't push it further. Instead, he'd moved his stuff over, allowing the Kaijou player to sit with them, much to Kise's delight, and to Kagami's annoyance.  
  
Kagami grumbled, earning him a scolding from Kuroko about table manners. He'd only rolled his eyes, starting to devour yet another burger, as Kuroko took a sip from his shake. Kise watched their interactions with golden eyes, catching a ghost of a smile on the shorter male's lips.   
  
 _He missed that smile._  
  
"We saw your game, Kise-kun." Kuroko stated bluntly, noticing him flinch, "How are you feeling?"  
  
He sighed, running a hand through his hair as he contemplated his response. He knew, even if he wanted to, lying to Kuroko was a bad idea because he could  **see** his emotions through his eyes. Yet he still found himself spilling out a feeble lie, that made his tongue taste bitter.  
  
"I'm fine, Kuroko-cchi! I just have to get stronger! I won't lose to Aomine-cchi next time!"  
  
Kagami snorted, wiping a crumb from his lips, "Get in line, Kise. We're going to beat Aomine in the Winter Cup first!" Jamming a finger out, he narrowed his eyes, "We'll also beat you! So don't come crying when you lose on the court!"  
  
Kuroko rolled his eyes at Kagami's words, laying a hand on his face, while Kise looked at him with shocked eyes, a sneer escaping his lips.   
  
"We'll be the victors. Don't underestimate Kaijou!"  
  
"Hah? Who said we were underestimating you guys?" This caused Kise to blink, eyes wide, "If anything, wasn't it you guys who did the same thing to us during our practice match? Why would we ever consider doing such a thing? In fact," Kagami paused, unwrapping another burger,  _how many can he eat?_ , "We're going to be fully prepared to have our asses beat! So we won't be holding back!"  
  
Kuroko nodded, a faint smile on his lips, "That's what makes Seirin strong. We will win and become the best in Japan. Don't take us too lightly, Kise-kun."  
  
And that's when Kise realized, Kuroko wasn't standing alone at the top. He had his light, Kagami Taiga, and the entire Seirin team to back him up. He wasn't treated like a special person because he was from Teiko. He was Kuroko Tetsuya, first year of Seirin High. And all Kise could do was smile at the thought.  
  
...  
  
Being at the top was such a lonely place.  
  
Despite changing his tune, Kise still realized his team would never be the same as him. And although he loved knowing he could work with them as a normal team, it was still such a lonely thought. But he overworked himself, enjoying the feel of the ball between his fingers, the sounds of shoes squeaking, yells coming from his captain.   
  
He felt  **wanted**.   
  
After everyone had left, it was just him, leaning over as he panted, trying to catch his breath. He wasn't trying to gain the affections of his team, his senpais already showing their feelings through head pats and words of encouragement. But he couldn't deny the feeling of happiness when his captain, and the one person he'd come to realize he had feelings for, would pat him gently on the shoulder, his fingers lingering longer than they should, as he tells him 'Good job, Kise.'  
  
And as the Winter Cup started to get closer, he found the dreadful feeling of being left behind crawl to the center of his mind. It's true he'd still have Hayakawa and Nakamura next year, but he didn't want to stop playing with his third year senpais. All three of them worked so hard, pushed themselves so much, and yet despite being a prodigy, he couldn't bring them to victory.  
  
He wouldn't fail again.  
  
Still, he wished there was more time. He wanted to keep playing with them, laugh with them, watch as they worked with him to be the best team. He'd never wanted anything so much, and yet, he also knew the cold hard truth.  
  
 _He couldn't keep playing with them._  
  
And he was thankful everyone had left because he'd found a few tears slipping from his eyes, head bowed as they made a 'plop' sound on the polished floor. He found his shoulders shaking, a hand raised to cover his eyes, hiding his shame and sadness from the world. The overwhelming sadness of not being able to spend time with the man he'd grown to love had taken over, and he'd yet to even confess.   
  
A hand on his shook him from his inner turmoil, his eyes snapping open and looking at his captain, who wore a frown on his face. His steel-blue eyes held a look of concern, a hand reaching to wipe the tears from his eye.  
  
"Why are you crying, Kise?"  
  
He'd tried to take a step back, his face sporting a small blush on his face for being caught in such a state. But the grip on his hand tightened, keeping the ace in place. Taking a shuddering breath, he sighed,  
  
"It's nothing, senpai.."  
  
He'd earned a kick to his shin, causing him to yelp as he almost fell over. He ended up with his face in the crook of Kasamatsu's neck, his hand shaking from feeling nervous. He could feel it start to clam up, his breathing almost coming out in pants and yet, he wished he could always stay like this, within the comforting presence of his captain.  
  
"Tch. This doesn't look like nothing, idiot! Don't lie to your senpai!"  
  
Kasamatsu could feel him tense, his shoulders slightly straightening before they sagged. He knew from the beginning, Kise was different. He was special. And although he had a horrible ego, there was something about him that made Kasamatsu always pay special close attention to the blonde. It didn't matter to him if he was a generation of miracle, or if he was better than him. There was this air around him that always called out to the older male. Seeing him like this, trying to hide the pain and tears from him, proved to him he had reasons to worry about his ace.  
  
He was a fragile boy, one always surrounded by people, yet never felt happy. Who always got attention, yet craved for a special kind of normalcy he'd never get because of who he was in everyone's eyes.  
  
But all Kasamatsu saw right now was Kise Ryouta, first year of Kaijou high. His kouhai who needed someone to lean on, someone who would sit there and try to understand him without judgement. Someone who wouldn't let him down, not the way his friends back in Teiko did.   
  
And He felt himself sigh, resting a hand in the blonde locks, caressing them gently as he held him to his shoulder. He heard the intake of breath, and he knew Kise was internally debating opening up to him. But he also knew Kise would, because he always seemed to be easy to read, an open book for him and only him.  
  
He wouldn't admit out loud how happy this made him.  
  
Grasping the fabric of his captain's shirt, Kise found his resolve crumble, and the words came tumbling out.  
  
"I... I don't want you to leave!" He sobbed, shoulders shaking uncontrollably, "I really like playing with Kasamatsu-senpai! I want to keep playing with you, and spending time with you.. I don't want it to stop!"  
  
The words were whispered, but they somehow echoed within Kasamatsu's heart, causing it to race with a high he was unfamiliar with. Still, he found himself scoffing, his left hand somehow finding Kise's and lacing them together.  
  
"Who said it was going to stop, idiot?"  
  
He'd felt Kise move his head, trying to look in his eyes. But he could feel the heat rise to his cheeks, and so he'd kept his head secured against his shoulder.  
  
"Why are you crying over something like  _ **that**_ when the Winter Cup hasn't even started yet? We still have time to spend together, so don't go having breakdowns on me over shit like this! We need you focused and calm if we're going to win. I  ** _need_** you, idiot. We'll worry about the rest of that stuff later. There's still time."  
  
He'd released Kise's head, allowing him to look up from his shoulder. And when Kise finally looked at his captain, Kasamatsu could see the _ **happiness**_ radiating through his golden eyes, and the sincere smile to follow it. He'd looked down at their hands, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand, still feeling that smile on him.  
  
His heart was racing, but oddly enough, Kasamatsu was comfortable with the feeling.   
  
Kise, on the other hand, was overwhelmed with emotion, and he was completely in bliss with the feeling. There was no blunt confession, but he read between the lines and  _knew_ what his captain was hinting at. He had a point though, it was such a silly thing for him to cry about, especially when graduation was still months away. The reassurance from his captain was enough to lift the weight from his chest, and he'd never felt lighter.  
  
His words were  _enough._  It was all he needed. And he knew he should say something, a simple 'okay' would suffice for his captain, but he'd found himself nodding instead. The look in his captain's eyes matched the small smirk on his lips, the hand squeezing his affectionately before letting go.  
  
He'd found himself walking to the locker room, quickly changing before meeting up with Kasamatsu, who'd chose to wait for him.  
  
Before he entered Kaijou, Kise would've always experienced the loneliness of being the best and looking  **up** to his team mates. But now, walking side by side with his captain, he didn't feel that way anymore. Instead, he'd felt he was looking  **at**  his team mate, walking down the same path as him, as his equal.  
  
They were walking along the path to victory, and the title, 'Kise of Kaijou' rang in his heart proudly.


End file.
